South Koreans Survive Avalanche on Latok One

Last week, three South Korean climbers, led by Eun Soo Koo, were swept downslope by an avalanche on the North Face of Latok I (7,145m) in the Karakorum. Two of them sustained serious back, rib and shoulder injuries.

Askari Aviation airlifting the stricken climbers to Latok Base Camp. Photo: Abbas Shah

Bad weather forced the rescue helicopter to wait nearly 24 hours before it could extract the stricken men. Finally, on June 22, they were evacuated to the hospital in Skardu, the last stop in Pakistan before the Karakorum.